The Ozark Police Department was the subject of a third-party investigation after a slew of accusations — some even alleging criminal misconduct — surfaced.

It’s hard to know how serious to take the allegations — largely made by an employee who was terminated by the department.

The city’s board of aldermen took the claims seriously enough, enlisting a straight-shooting investigator, former-Greene County Sheriff Jack Merritt.

And this isn’t the first time the department has been closely scrutinized. A 2012 human resources review of the Ozark Police Department found that employees believed Chief Lyle Hodges fell asleep at meetings, acted inappropriately, used offensive humor and showed favoritism toward female staff.

In a News-Leader interview early this fall, Hodges disputed most of those claims.

On Thursday, Hodges told me he was aware Ozark’s Board of Aldermen was reviewing Merritt’s findings but he knew little beyond that.

“I did talk to (Merritt) about the investigation but I don’t want to get into anything that was discussed,” Hodges told me.

“Honestly, I’m not sure exactly what I’ve been accused of.”

Several Ozark officials confirmed Merritt’s investigation had been completed and the report is currently being reviewed by the board of aldermen.

Ozark Mayor Shane Nelson said he has read the report but he declined to provide any findings therein. Nelson also declined to provide a copy of the report to me, citing a Sunshine Law exemption for personnel matters.

Among those awaiting the board’s decision is Ozark Police Cpl. Bruce Stafford. Stafford is the president of the department’s local union chapter.

Stafford believes the investigation took longer than expected — more than three weeks.

Stafford said he hasn’t seen the report but he does believe many of the allegations that led to the investigation were levied by former Ozark Police Sgt. Mitch Elder.

In letters to the board of aldermen, and others, Elder alleged the department leadership ran things like a good ’ol boys club. Misconduct by some officers would be overlooked while concerns expressed by other officers would be ignored.

Elder made several serious and specific accusations that I do not yet feel comfortable repeating without evidence or the investigation report.

That became of even greater concern to me after talking to another Ozark official, who asked to remain anonymous. That official said the report did reveal some cause for concern but did not confirm some of the most severe of Elder’s accusations.

The source believed some action would occur as the result of the investigation but declined to elaborate.

Reached Thursday afternoon, Merritt declined to reveal any findings from his investigation.

Ozark City Attorney David Collignon assured me, however, that the report — or at least some portions of it — could still be released. He said that if the board decides to discipline an employee — or definitively decides not to — the portion of the report involving that employee could be made public.

As much credit as the Ozark board deserves for initiating a third-party investigation, I believe board members are also obliged, at some point, to fully reveal the fruits of that investigation.

I can assure that Elder’s accusations have been widely circulated among Ozark citizens, who are now left to wonder which ones, if any, are true.

I’m sure Merritt’s investigation came as close to the truth as possible and, whatever he found, the people of Ozark deserve to know.

Sometimes rumors can do more damage than the truth.

These are the views of Jess Rollins, the News-Leader’s metro columnist. Rollins, a lifelong resident of the Ozarks, has covered cops, courts, city government and other topics for the News-Leader over the last four years. He can be reached at 836-1222, jrollins@news-leader.com, on Twitter @JessRollinsNL or by mail at 651 Boonville, Springfield MO 65806.